Chefs across the state found their names on an exciting menu this morning: the 2025 James Beard Awards Semifinalists.
The awards recognize the nation's best talent in the food and beverage industry.
In the Burlington area, Cara Tobin returns to the list for Honey Road and Grey Jay in the Outstanding Restaurateur nationwide category (along with co-owner Allison Gibson).
Honey Road is an Eastern Mediterranean mezze restaurant on Church Street, and their sister restaurant, Grey Jay, is around the corner serving breakfast and lunch.
This is Tobin's fifth nod as a semifinalist. Just last year, she was a finalist for the Best Chef: Northeast category.
Tobin told Vermont Edition last year the recognition was "a nice validation for myself, but also for the staff. ... I think about them and all the hard work that they put in, and I hope that they feel really proud."
And around the corner on Winooski Avenue, May Day's Avery Buck is in the running for Best Chef in the Northeast region. May Day serves small plates and cocktails.
Also in the Best Chef: Northeast category is Waitsfield's Charlie Menard, from Canteen Creemee — a takeout restaurant serving classics like burgers and, of course, Vermont-style creemees.
“I thought at first, 'This is a joke, it's a prank,' whatever. And then I had to go to the James Beard website and see that I was nominated. It blows my mind," Menard said about the nomination. "I thought maybe I was kind of beyond this at this point in my life ... doing this style of food.”
In White River Junction, Wolf Tree — a speakeasy-style bar — is up for Outstanding Bar, a nationwide category.
Two chefs in New Hampshire also found spots on the awards list, for Best Chef: Northeast and Outstanding Bakery.
This year is the 35th anniversary of the prestigious culinary awards. Nominees will be announced April 2, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony June 16.
Adiah Gholston contributed to this report.
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